Beyonce’s apparel firm sued

R&B superstar Beyonce has been hit with a breach of contract lawsuit from the bosses of a Hong Kong clothing manufacturer.

The ‘Irreplaceable´ hitmaker, who launched clothing collection House of Dereon with her stylist mother Tina Knowles in 2005, is accused of costing apparel maker Vier International $500,000 in an alleged conspiracy to undercut the Asian company, WWD magazine online reported.

In legal papers filed in the US District Court in Manhattan, Vier International owners claim executives at clothing company Donna Loren LLC and shipping firm HJM International worked together as “conspirators who induced the shipment of goods to the United States with the intent to convert them or pay less than the agreed upon contract price”. Advertisement

Beyonce and her partners at House of Dereon and her Beyond Productions company reportedly aided the scheme by making purchase orders and requesting manufacturer specifications.

While the lawsuit is bad news for Beyonce and family, it gets worse. Vier International executives have not only filed suit, the manufacturer has also filed the complaint under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (RICO), a statute usually reserved for the prosecution of organised crime gangs like the mafia.